Truck.



No. 724,991. V PATEN'I'ED APR. 7, 1903. F. E. CATON.

TRUCK.

APPLI-OATION FILED JULY 21. 1902.

no MODEL.

INVENTJR:

M 6% fr 9740.974

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC FRED E. CATON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CATONS FOUN- DRY &; MACHINE 00., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 724,991, dated April 7, 1903.

' Application filed July 21,1902. Serial No. 116,335. (No model.)

To LtZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED E. CATON, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, county of Santa Clara, State of California,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates trucks.

The special needs of fruit shippers .and canners particularly have produced certain changes in or attachments to the ordinary warehouse or store truck which make it possible to handle with facility boxes, cans, trays,

or other cases of goods in tiers of consider-j able height, taking said tiers with precision,

transferring them in substantially their normally upright position, and depositing them with accuracy and uniformity at their destination. These changes by which the truck is thus adapted to the work indicated while difiering in detail have essentially the common feature of a long or high flat frame sub- 2 5 stantially at right angles to the nose-piece and at an acute angle to the handles, thereby enabling the nose-piece to be run under the tier of goods, the high frame extending upwardly beside and parallel with the tier and the handles projecting backwardly. By pressing down the handles very slightly the nose-piece lifts the tier, which then rests in approximately its normal vertical position against the high frame, and the whole tier 3 5 may be transferred in this position to its destination and deposited easily and accurately by simply straightening up the truck and withdrawing the nose-piece. This use of the truck is rendered easy by the practice-of sup- 4o porting each tier of goods upon small bottom trays, which being slightly elevated from the floor by their side cleats enable the nose-piece of the truck to be run under it and withdrawn again. Heretofore it has generally been the endeavor to convert the ordinary hand-truck into a truck capable of this use by making the carrying-frame an attachment thereto; but such practice is open to various objections, which are obviated by making the entire truck, as my invention contemplates,

originally adapted for this purpose.

to the class of hand- 'sition.

pieces at substantially right angles.

My invention relates to trucks of this general nature; and it consists in the'novel con struction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which I shall hereinafter fully describe and which have for their object the production of a truck simple and strong in its structure, economical in its manufacture, and well adapted for its use in handling cases of goods in tiers.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my truck, showing it in its upright or normal position. Fig. 2 isa plan view looking at the truck from underneath. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the truck in its substantially horizontal po- Figut is a reduced elevation of the truck, showing the application of the extension-frame. Fig. 5 is a front view of the extension-frame. Fig. 6 is a side view of same. Fig. 7 is a broken detail of handle extremity g. Fig. 8 is a broken detail showing the construction of cross-pieces I.

The main body or frame of the truck consists of two long side pieces A. To the lower ends of these pieces is secured the nose-piece B, which extends forwardly from the side To the side pieces near their lower ends are secured the cross-pieces C, to which are secured the brackets v D, which carry the axle E, upon which are mounted the wheels F. To the side pieces A are secured at points higher up the handles G, which spring backwardly therefrom at an acute angle, and thence curve to their extremities which liein a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the side pieces. Diagonal braces H further unite the handles and side pieces.

In the construction as thus generally de-' scribed two features of novelty are to be .of the side pieces A, thus avoiding any projecting parts or guard or shield plates therefor and'enabling the truck to be run up close to a wall or to a previous tier of goods and to take and to deposit its load from and to immediately adjacent obstructions, walls, or tiers of goods. The second feature is the relative positions of the side pieces A and the handles G. It will be observed that the upper ends of the side pieces A are provided with a handhold a, which in its best form is a cross-piece, (which I shall hereinafter more particularly describe,) and that the extremities g of the handles G are left blunt, so that they form hand-grips and at the same time afford substantial rests against the ground or floor. By springing the handles G from the side pieces A at an acute angle, and-thence carrying them so that their extremities 9 lie in a plane substantially at right angles to said side pieces, the truck may be lowered, if desired, to a position as shown in Fig. 3, in which the extremities g rest on the ground or floor and the side pieces A approach nearer the horizontal. Then by grasping the handhold cross piece a and lifting the truck slightly it may be rolled along in an approximately horizontal position in contradistinction to its more ordinary use, in which the handles G are grasped and the truck is moved along in a substantially vertical position.

In order to strengthen the whole truck and afford means for tightening its frame and keeping it rigid, as well as to afford means for connecting the several parts, I have extending between the side pieces in the line of the handle connection therewith and in the line of the brace connection therewith and between the handles in the line of the brace connection therewith tubes I, through which pass rods J, the extremities of which pass through the side pieces, handles, and braces, respectively, and receive nutsj. Thehandhold cross-piece a, heretofore referred to, has this same special construction, whereby it serves also as a brace to strengthen the frame. Another point to be noted in connection with cross-piece a is that it is set as far back in the outer side or leaf of the side piece A as possible, thereby giving room for the hand to grasp it without scraping the knuckles against the tier of boxes which lie on said side pieces. Though the extremities themselves of side pieces A may be directly taken hold of as handles, the handhold a in the form of a cross-piece is more advantageous in that it affords a more convenient gripfor the application of the power of the operator in tilting the truck backward to raise the load than either side piece will afford.

As far as the general description of parts thus far made is concerned, the material or the shape in cross-section of said parts is not essential; but in practical construction certain novel features must now be noted. It is intended to make the truck wholly of metal, and the chief feature in this construction lies in making the side pieces A of the main frame of angle-iron, as shown, and disposing them with one side or leaf up and the other side or leaf facing outwardly, thereby throwing their inclosed angles downwardly and inwardly and affording by such disposition an opportunity to connect the other parts with said side pieces in their inclosed angles out of the way, leaving the tops and outer sides flat and clear of obstructing parts. In accordance with this idea it will be seen that the shanks or arms of the nose-piece lie under and are secured to the top leaf of the angle-iron side pieces A, and the extremities of the crosspieces 0 also pass under said leaf and under the arms 19 of the nose-piece, while the axlebrackets D lie under said cross-pieces, and

neither their tops nor their securing bolts or rivets interfere with the general top plane or level of the main frame of the truck. In like manner the handles G, the braces H, and the cross-handle a lie in the inclosed or inner angle of the side pieces A and are secured to their downwardly-extending leaves, so that neither part extends beyond the general side planes of the main frame. To adapt the truck for transferring a high tier-*say of empty boxesI have an extension-frame K. This is made of any suitable material and consists of side pieces and cross-pieces, as shown. Its side pieces fit down in the inclosed angles of the side pieces A, passing between them and the cross-piece a,and the lower extremities,which are beveled, fit down into the space between the side pieces A and the cross-tube I, which unites the braces H and sides A. Thus the extension-frame is temporarily securely held and may be readily fitted and removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A truck comprising angle side pieces, a nose-piece secured to the lower ends of said side pieces and extending forwardly therefrom, wheels at the lowerends of said side pieces, handles secured to said side pieces within the angle thereof and extending backwardly therefrom to cause their free extremities to serve as foot-rests, and a cylindrical handhold between the free extremities of the side pieces; substantially as described.

2. A truck consisting of the angle-iron side pieces disposed to present their inclosed an gle inwardly, the forwardly-projecting nosepiece having arms lying within and secured to the side pieces in their inclosed angles, the cross-pieces secured insaid inclosed angles, the axle-brackets secured to the cross-pieces, the wheeled axle carried by said brackets, the handles projecting rearwardly from the side pieces and secured thereto in their inclosed angles, the braces secured to said handles and to the side pieces in their inclosed angles, the tubular pieces, the rods passing through the tubular pieces and through the side pieces, handles and braces, respectively, and the nuts on the rods, substantially as described.

3. In a truck, the combination of the angleiron side pieces, disposed as described, and

pieces, wheels at the lower ends of the side pieces, cross connections between the side I 5 pieces, and an extension-frame having side pieces arranged to removably fit between one flange of the angle side pieces and one of the cross connections; substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 20 hand.

FRED E. OATON.

Witnesses: I

SAML. G. TOMPKINS, T. E. STRAUS. 

